Why does it seem like I'm always floating in darkness, in a void of nothingness surrounding me? Although it's peaceful here and I don't feel pain anymore. What I do feel is comfort and solace, like a pair of strong arms holding me, and I close my eyes, listening to a heart beating in my ear.
"Jimin..." I whisper.
"No, ma petite cherie... 'Tis not your love here..." a lilting, accented voice says. I lift my head, looking at the person holding me. I see a little old woman in a white dress, hair white as snow and soft looking like cotton candy, her dark eyes searching mine. Her face is filled with laugh lines, and her forehead and around her eyes crinkle when she smiles at me, her straight white teeth a stark contrast to her mocha skin.
"Who are you?" I ask, staring at her.
"Oh, I think you know," her smile gets bigger as my eyes widen.
"Mawmaw. You're Anaïse's Mawmaw, aren't you?" I state, shocked to my core. She nods once, her hand caressing my face. "Where are we?"
"In-between," is all she says, a sad smile now showing.
"In-between? In between where?" I look around as the nothingness fades away, and the green of a meadow and trees becomes visible around us.
"In between life and death, my child. Do you not know?" she queries, her voice speculative. I shake my head, tears in my eyes.
"Ah, I see." She nods to herself before looking off in the distance. It's several moments before her gaze finds mine again, a gentle smile on her face this time. "You are here because you have a choice to make..."
"A choice? What kind of choice?" I stare at her.
"That is something you need to figure out, ma cherie. I cannot tell you what it is, and I cannot make it for you... Just know that whatever choice you make will be the right one..." Letting go of me, she stands up and turns to walk away. "And if you see my little Ana again, will you tell her something for me?"
I nod my head, and she comes back, bending over to whisper in my ear. She kisses my cheek, then straightens up and walks away. I watch her retreating form until she reaches the tree line, where she stops and looks back at me once more before disappearing.
I stare for a few moments more, but when nothing else happens, I lay down, resting my head on my hand. I suddenly feel so tired and close my eyes, planning to only take a quick nap before I figure out what choice I need to make...
*************
The sound of crying babies in the distance pierce my subconsciousness. I jerk my head, trying to get the sound to go away, my heart breaking. I never got to hold our daughter...
It's the feeling of tears tracking down my face that makes me aware of the steady sound of beeping above my head. Then the sound of a baby starting to cry nearby makes the tears flow harder. How cruel can people be?
I curl into myself, covering my ears, trying to block the sound of the cry as the sobs start because the heartbreak is too hard to deal with.
"Shhh, Baby... You're alright..." The touch of warm fingers on my cheek don't penetrate my grief. "Shhh, my love..."
"I tried to keep her safe! I tried so hard!" I cry out, my heartbreak coming out through my words, punctuated by sobs. "I never got to hold her. I can't do this. Why? Why is life so cruel to put me near when I can't have my own??"
I cry until I'm floating in blackness again, the heartache following me there.
*************
"Has she woken up since yesterday?"
"No. And I don't know when she will. Even though she's here physically, I miss her so much. Her smile, her beautiful brown eyes, her teasing, her touch. I don't know how much more..."
"Stay strong, bro. She'll come back to you. The doctors have given her a good prognosis after those first couple days. And since she already woke up once..."
"I know, but it's been nearly a week..."
"Just keep talking to her, let her know you're here with her, waiting for her to come back to you. It'll happen. Let us know if anything changes."
"I will. Thank you, hyung."
"And bro?"
"Yeah?"
"Get some rest. You look like sh*t."
*************
I feel so lost. Drifting alone in the darkness. Wondering where I am. In this void of nothing. Nothing to see. Only echoes of a distant past, and what could've been – a family, a future, happiness... The plaintive cry of a baby. Wishing it was our little flower calling out for me. And my heart breaks more each time. Into tiny shards, piercing. The echoes of my love talking. My rock. My anchor. But still, I feel so lost.
And frustrated. So frustrated and angry at the Universe for leaving me here, adrift, lost. So frustrated that I shout out into the void, "Why have you left me here?! I've made my choice! I choose life, I choose my love, I choose my baby...but still, I'm here! Why? Why??" And I feel the tears flowing unchecked from my closed eyes, my heart breaking all over again when I still feel lost in the darkness.
I imagine my love's fingertips wiping the tears from my cheeks feeling so real, too real, and my heart continues to break, and I'd rather feel nothing at this point if I can't have the real thing. I turn my head away, trying not to feel the touch, but it moves with me. So I turn my head the other way, and it's still with me.
"It's not real...why can't it be real? I need it to be real..." I mutter, still turning my head this way and that, disturbed, agitated, that I'm being teased this way, a sick cosmic joke on me. And I cry harder, crying out for my Jimin.
When warm, plump lips press against mine, I settle, the feeling of one last kiss a soothing balm to my fractured, tortured soul. And I sigh when they leave me.
"Open your beautiful eyes, my love... I need you to look at me..." I can hear his soft voice enveloping me. And I feel disoriented. The nothingness surrounding me changing. The darkness getting lighter. Sounds ass*ulting my senses. The scents of antiseptic and medicine strong. The touch of his hands on my face warm and soothing. The pain in my body real.
I fight to open my eyes, the light so bright that it hurts and I can barely crack them, my eyes watering, but this time not from tears and heartache.
"Light...too bright..." I whisper, my voice cracking, my throat like sandpaper. It sounds like he turns away when I hear the creak of the bed below me, his hands shifting slightly on my face.
"Can you turn the lights off?" His voice is distant, quiet, whispering. "And go get someone in a few minutes, let them know she's waking up. But I need a moment with her first."
I hear what sounds like a door opening then closing. "The lights have been turned off, it's not bright anymore, my love. Can you open your eyes for me?" he whispers again.
I try, still fighting my heavy eyelids, but I can feel them moving. Then I see blurriness in front of me. I squeeze them closed again, and his thumbs rub lightly across my lids, caressing. I try again, this time it's easier and not so blurry. And the first thing I see is my love's face, haggard, drawn, watery eyes, tears sliding down his cheeks to drip from his chin. I slowly lift a shaky hand to touch him, my fingertips feeling the roughness of stubble.
"Are you real?" I ask, needing to know if I'm dreaming or not.
He nods his head, a trembling smile on his lips as fresh tears track down his face.
"Show me..."
And I watch as his face descends towards mine, his soft lips settling over my mouth. With his touch, I finally believe everything is real and allow my eyes to close as I respond to his touch. After a few moments, he pulls back, leaning his forehead to mine.
"You came back to me..." he whispers, the pain evident in his voice. "I thought I lost you..."
I can only nod my head, tears flowing again. "I think you did...briefly."
There's a quiet knock on the door before it's pushed open carefully. We don't move right away, not even when a nurse comes up on the other side of the bed, checking the IV, tubes, and monitors.
"Welcome back, Ms. Cho," she says, settling her hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly as she smiles at me. "It took you awhile, but we knew you would. Your husband never left your side either. He said he was going to be right next to you when you woke up. And he was right..."
Jimin sits up, his hands sliding to settle over mine, still cradling his cheek. He leans into it as I caress with my thumb, needing the connection. It's been too long. I look at the nurse, my eyebrows lifting up, then look back at Jimin. All he does is nod.
I try to shift my weight and grimace when I feel pain radiating along my left side. Pain that I had forgotten about as soon as I saw my love. I look down and my eyes get wide when I see the sling holding my left arm tight below my br*asts, covering my much smaller stomach. My gaze flies back up to Jimin, panic starting to grip me as I remember what happened.
"Flower...where's our flower?" My hand drops to his shirt, gripping tightly. I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to keep the panic at bay.
"Shhh, my love. It's okay..." he says soothingly as he pries my fingers open. I feel him get up, and I can't look to see what he's doing for fear of the pain I know I'll see on his face. "Baby, open your eyes and look at me..."
I shake my head. "I can't stand to see your hate for failing to protect our flower," I whisper on a broken sob.
"NaeYeong, open your eyes," I hear the steel in his voice, and my eyes fly open. I see him standing at the side of the bed, a loving smile on his face, his gaze soft. My eyes drop to see a pink wrapped bundle cradled in his arms. "I could never hate you, my love... And you protected our flower's life, almost at the cost of your own..."
Then there's movement. A tiny little hand reaches out to wave in the air, and a tiny little coo comes from his arms.
"Would you like to hold our daughter?" he asks, a smile on his face as he looks down at the bundle, his fingers caressing the tiny hand, before his gaze finds mine. I feel my eyes welling up with tears again, disbelief on my face. I nod.
The nurse helps to raise the head of the bed up, adjusting the pillows behind and under my left side and arm to help support it without the sling. Once I'm situated with minimal pain, he places her gently in the cradle of my left arm, and I gaze down into the face of my baby, her big brown eyes looking up at me.
She wraps her tiny hand around the shaky finger I touch her blanket with, gripping tightly, a gummy smile stretching across her face as she stretches and tries to kick her swaddled feet.
"Hello, my sweet little girl, our little flower... I'm your eomma..." I say as tears stream down my face. I lean my head down to her, kissing her forehead and inhaling her sweet baby scent. She gurgles as her hand reaches out, touching my face. I see so much of Jimin in her, her thick head of downy black hair to her eyes and smile. I sit back, looking up at him, my heart in my eyes. "We did this..."
He leans over and kisses my head, settling his cheek against me as he cradles her head with his hand.
"Yes, we did, and she's beautiful, just like her eomma," he replies.
*************
Lightning flashes above as a weight is pressed down on my legs, holding me immobile while a painful contraction hits again. I scream, trying to curl up to help ease the pain. I open my eyes to see the stuff of my nightmares come to life, a mix of anger and lust on his face as his talon-like hands pull at my clothing. I try to kick my feet as a way to dislodge him from my body, but it only inflames his anger as he backhands me. It's enough to get me to comply momentarily and I whimper, holding my cheek as the sting of tears mix with the rain falling over us.
Again I try to push the hands off me, my feeble attempt making him laugh, causing the anger to rise. But no matter what I do, I can't get him to stop touching me, trying to take my clothes off, or at least get them out of the way. I can feel the cold rain beating on my bare skin, like tiny needles poking everywhere.
When I look again, he's ready and I scream as loud as I can, hoping someone will hear me and stop what's about to happen, because I no longer have the strength to fight him. Someone help! Help! Save me! Don't let him do this to me again!
He leans over me, and I squeeze my eyes shut and turn my head, not wanting to see what he's about to do. And I feel hands...one on my cheek, the other on my shoulder, shaking me, trying to get me to open my eyes. Calling my name...
I'm trembling as I wake up, gasping for air, face wet with tears. I remember going to sleep curled into Jimin on my hospital bed, his arm cradling me into his body. When I open my eyes, his is the first face I see, peering down at me, his hand on my cheek, worry on his face. My eyes dart around the dim room quickly to make sure it's just us, that it wasn't real this time.
"You're alright, it was just a nightmare. You're safe," Jimin comforts me, kissing my head, caressing my cheek. He pulls me close, trying to be careful of my injuries.
"But Jeffrey–" I start, still partially lost in the nightmare, fear creating panic.
"–Is gone. He's gone, Nae, and he'll never be able to hurt you, ever again," he whispers, feeling me shaking.
"How do you know? He tried...he tried to..." I can't get the words out. "What if he comes back? Tries to finish what he started?" I grip his shirt in my fist, worry, fear, and panic driving me.
"Because he's dead, Nae." He pauses to look at me, making sure I'm listening to what he's saying. "He wasn't wearing a seatbelt and when the van hit the pylon, it was with enough force that he hit the windshield. His neck broke on impact. He's dead, my love, and he'll never hurt you again."
My brain is slow to register exactly what Jimin said.
"What?" I ask, still not sure if I actually heard him correctly. "Did you say..."
"Yes, my love, he's dead. You're safe. Both Leeza and Jeffrey are gone." He kisses my head again, and I try to believe what he says, but some part of me is not sure if I can, or if this is just some part of the nightmare that my mind has conjured up to keep it safe and help deal with what I've gone through.
"I need proof. I don't think I can accept it without seeing it with my own eyes." I look up at him, the tears filling my eyes again, willing him to understand. "Please..."
"I'll ask Jae-sung hyung and Anaïse noona to contact the KNPA to see what can be done. Okay? Will that work?" I stare at him, trying to figure out what my brain is telling me. After long moments, I nod my head, accepting it.
"Yes, I think that would work. I swear it was real. So very real. Again. I could even feel the rain, his hands and body...as he held me down. Trying to remove my clothes... He put his hands on me...again..." I choke back a sob, getting lost in the nightmare memory.
"Baby..." Jimin's eyes fill, and he hesitates. He swallows, then licks his lips, stalling and I know what he's not wanting to ask. "Did he...?"
I shake my head emphatically. "It wasn't from lack of trying though."
"Can you tell me what happened? I know what I saw on the security video from the building before I arrived to pick you up. You must have been taken just moments before I got there because I found your shoe, briefcase, and umbrella, which was open and upside down, filling with water. And there wasn't much in it yet."
I take my time telling him what happened, reliving it all again, which is cathartic in a way. From the time I turned around to go back in the building to how I got away, and what happened when Leeza caught up to me and why Jeffrey was chasing me in the van. Tears are flowing down my cheeks as I tell him everything, not leaving a single detail out. He holds me tight the whole time, and it's comforting to hear his heart thumping beneath my ear and feel his arms around me.
We continue talking until a nurse comes in with our baby to feed. I'm sad when I realize that I won't be able to breastfeed her due to all the medications in my system. While I watch Jimin feed her, the nurse checks both wounds, satisfied that things are healing well. The large wound on my side looks horrible when I glance down, and it reminds me exactly how far gone Leeza was. The stab wound on my left shoulder isn't as bad, and once the doctor comes by for their rounds, she'll tell me if I can stop using the sling or not.
Once the nurse leaves, I lay on my right, watching as Jimin continues to feed our daughter. He's so gentle with her and attentive to her every move and noise. My heart fills even fuller with love for this wonderful man, and for the millionth time, I wonder how I got so lucky. He was born to be a father, and I smile to myself at the thought.
He looks up at me, smiling back. "Would you like to feed her, love?"
"I do, but I think I'll wait until the doctor says I don't need the sling anymore. I think it'll be easier. And I'm enjoying watching you with her," I smile bigger, content knowing that my two loves are here with me, safe and sound.
As they finish, I feel my eyelids getting heavy again, and I doze. I get woken up when the doctor comes in for her rounds, checking my wounds and making sure the medically induced coma they put me in hasn't had any lasting effects. She allows me to remove the sling. Shortly after she leaves, my OB-GYN doctor comes in to check on me, asking me questions. Satisfied with the answers, he heads out.
Jimin places our baby next to me in bed, tucked up beside me while she sleeps with a full belly. Just as I'm about to doze with her, there's another knock on the door. Jimin gets up and opens the door a crack, holding his finger to his mouth when Anaïse pokes her head in, with Jae-sung's above her. He looks back at me, asking silently if I'm ready for company and I gesture for them both to come in. I'm surprised when the rest of the members follow. They all stop to place a soft kiss on the baby's head then on my head or cheek.
I smile at everyone, happiness flooding my body at seeing my family yet missing Hobi and Jin even more because they aren't able to be here. Jimin comes around to the other side of the bed, placing his hand on my arm, creating that connection.
"How are you doing, little sister?" Namjoon asks quietly.
"Pretty good, all considering. I honestly didn't believe I survived everything..." I say, staring down at our child, tears welling up quickly. I wipe them away before they have a chance to drip off my face. My gaze touches on everyone in the room. "There were so many things stacked against me...against us," I look back down at our flower, touching her blanket with my fingers. "I thought I lost her, and I thought I had lost Jimin..."
"I'm sorry I wasn't with you, Nae," I hear Anaïse whisper from the end of the bed, and I look in her direction. Jae-sung is standing with his arms wrapped around her, her head bowed. "If I had been, this wouldn't have happened to you and her... This was all my fault..."
"Anaïse unnie, you're not to blame. Just as Jimin told me when I thought it was my fault...this was all Leeza and Jeffrey. They were the ones to blame." Anaïse raises her head to look at me, her eyes shiny. "But what I don't understand is how Jeffrey ended up in South Korea and not in jail in New York..." A pissed off look crosses her face.
"Remember Detective D*ckhead?" I nod my head, a frown on my face. "I called some of my former co-workers when you were taken and found out he basically dropped the ball on the transfer paperwork. Jeffrey just walked out of the hospital and disappeared. By the time it was discovered, it was too late. He was long gone, and no one was the wiser. And what makes it even worse is that it wouldn't have been figured out if this hadn't happened to you. D*ckhead never said anything to anyone. He just closed the case. Told the prosecutor's office that it was a mistake, and that there was no viable evidence to back up the charges, even though they knew better."
"How can he get away with that?" I'm incredulous when she tells us.
"After I found that out, I called my old NYPD captain a couple days ago and had a long conversation with him about everything. We've been in touch several times since, and he's working with the KNPA. D*ckhead has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending an IA investigation."
I can only shake my head at the information. I look back down at our sleeping flower, my gaze soft. "We almost lost our lives because of the incompetence and misogyny of that man." I raise my gaze to Anaïse, determination on my face. "If there's anything I can do to help, I'll do it."
All she does is nod in acknowledgement.
"When will you be able to leave, little sister?" Yoongi asks as he stands near the baby, his hand touching her blanket carefully. He doesn't even look at me when he asks the question, he's looking at her. I chuckle and his gaze finally leaves her and ends up on me.
"I don't know. Both doctors were in this morning, but neither said anything about leaving yet." I wait for him to say something more, but his gaze is back on her. I turn my head to look back at Jimin, an eyebrow raised. He just shrugs.
"Have you named her?" Jungkook asks as he watches Yoongi. I look again at Jimin and smile. He nods his head.
"Yes, we've chosen a name for her. We've known this name for a while now, because she's always been our little flower..." I say, and notice everyone's attention is on us. "Let us introduce you to our daughter...Park Ji-Young."
*************
It's nearing the end of July and I've been home a week. I was in the hospital a lot longer than we expected, needing to heal from an infection in the large cut during the second week. Jimin stayed by my side the whole time, barely leaving. But now that we're home, it's been a steep learning curve trying to do things with new scar tissue and taking care of a four-week old baby.
Everybody's been dropping by periodically to check on us. Mi-Jeong, Hyun-soo, and JiHyun are staying with us for another couple of days before heading back to Busan, which has been a huge help while Jimin has work. We've talked as a family the last two days, and things are moving forward on his enlistment front. I'm not sure if I'll be able to deal with him being gone so soon after everything, but I know I'll need to. The sooner he goes, the sooner he'll be home again.
I've just finished feeding Ji-Young and put her down in her crib. Walking back out to the living room, I see Mi-Jeong is in the kitchen, making some food.
"Mother, I've put Ji-Young down and I'm going to be in the studio for a bit. Is there anything you need help with before I do?" I ask as I stop next to her.
"No, my dear, there isn't. I'll listen for her in case she wakes up. Take your time," she says, smiling at me.
"Thank you," I kiss her on the cheek then head to the studio, intent on doing some stretches. My doctors have given me the go-ahead to do some light exercises now that everything has healed. Finding a nice concerto, I turn it on low and start doing some warmup moves, watching my form in the mirror, especially when I feel the tightness in my side pulling. I feel so out of shape after the past couple of months, but the muscle memory is still there, helping me along.
I've worked up a nice sweat, and when I finally stop and am ready to turn off the music, I see Jimin leaning on the closet wall in front of the door, watching me.
"How long have you been home, love?" I ask, pausing near him as I wipe the sweat from my forehead.
"About twenty minutes," he says, a smile on his face, his dimple flashing. He looks more like he did before everything happened and not like when I first woke up, which makes me happy because seeing him like that worried me. I'm feeling the stirrings of arousal at his gaze. We've been told by the doctor that he doesn't recommend having s*x yet even though I'm back on the pill, and we've been so tired with the overnight feedings that we've done nothing other than kiss and cuddle, and I miss him in a raw, primal way. "I saw you in here when I got home. I checked in on Ji-Young but she was still sleeping, so I let Mother know that I needed some time alone with you and asked her not to disturb us."
That's when I see the door is closed behind him, and I lift an eyebrow up as he steps forward, a hand going around my waist as he pulls me into his body. I feel the unmistakable hardness of him between us, and my body responds immediately.
"Love, as much as I want to, you know the doctor said–" I start. He shakes his head, stopping the next words I was going to say.
"I know what the doctor said, but we can still enjoy each other in different ways. And I miss you, Baby. I miss your touch, your teasing, your taste, and I can't wait until I can be buried deep inside of you again. But until then, there's other ways..." He trails off, then he's kissing me passionately, as if we haven't seen each other for months. And I respond just as passionately, my hands sliding up his chest, my right going into the hair at the nape of his neck while my left stays on his chest and fisted in his shirt, so it doesn't pull on my newly healed scars.
"I miss you too, my love. Oh god, I miss you..." I whisper as his hands catch the bottom of my tank, pulling it slowly up. His lips move across my jaw and down my neck, pausing briefly as he pulls the offending material off. Then his lips are back on my body, blazing a trail down to my br*asts, and further down to my stomach. He squats down in front of me, pulling the waistband of my leggings down until they are sitting just above my thong, and he kisses across from my right hip to my left, where he feathers kisses on each side of my scar as he travels back up.
My hands are in his hair as I watch him carefully there, being so gentle. I smile when his lips reach my sports bra clad br*asts again, and he looks up at me, a wicked smile on his face right before he pushes the material up and flicks my hard n*pple with his tongue. My head falls back as his lips tease between both n*pples, then s*cking one into the hot, wet heat of his mouth, teeth grazing the sensitive point.
I pull him up, making him let go when it becomes overwhelming. I pull off his shirt, flinging it to the side. My hands fumble at the button on his jeans in my eagerness to reach him, and he has to push my hands away so he can do it himself. He makes quick work of taking off the rest of his clothes and I'm panting when he's finally standing there in all his n*ked glory. My eyes roam over his body, devouring every inch of him with my gaze. I bite my lip as I zone in on what I want to taste. As I'm about to take a step forward, he holds up his hand, stopping me. With a quick smile, he turns around and grabs the removable mats from the closet, dropping them on the floor in the center of the room. I watch as he walks back to me and I grab him by the hips, pushing him until he's up against the wall across from the mirrored one. Then I'm kissing down his chest, my fingers trailing along his sides, until I reach my desired destination.
I kneel down in front of him, my hands on his thighs as my mouth slides over the head of his er*ction, encasing him in my wet heat. Looking up at him, I slide him further in, my tongue swirling around his hard, throbbing c*ck as he pushes in deeper then pulls out. His hands slide into my hair, bunching it up in his fists. When I look up again, I see he's watching us in the mirror, and my body responds to the look on his face as I s*ck him in deeper. He guides the tempo for a while with his hands, then I take over, needing to taste him more, pulling him in even deeper until I feel the throbbing getting stronger. Humming deep in my throat pushes him over the edge and he can't hold back any longer as I swallow. But it only whets my appetite for more, and he's still aroused.
He pulls me up, kissing me, his hands on my br*asts, kneading them, his thumbs rubbing across the n*pples, and I get even wetter than I was.
"Baby...I don't care what the doctor recommends or not... I need to feel you inside me," I pant into his mouth. He pauses, pulling away to look at me, searching my eyes.
"Are you sure? I know after you had Ji-Young you were bleeding and the doctor said it could take up to six weeks to stop..." he says hesitantly.
"That stopped a few days ago. If you don't want to–"
He cuts me off. "I want nothing more than to be inside you right now, but I also don't want to hurt you."
"We can go slow and easy... And I need you," I say with conviction.
"If you're sure..."
I step away from him, moving back, watching him as I push the leggings and thong down over my hips and thighs, then pulling them off completely. I feel a little self-conscious about the bit of tummy I still have, and I hold my hands over it, letting my hair fall forward as I look down at my body on display. I never thought I would feel that way after everything we've been through, but my insecurities have reared their ugly head again at the most inopportune moment.
He walks up and lifts my chin so I have no choice but to look him in the eyes.
"You're still the most beautiful woman in the world to me, Baby, and knowing everything you went through for our child, makes me want you even more than before. I love you, NaeYeong, but those words seem so inadequate for how I feel about you."
He kisses me slowly, passionately, deeply, pouring all his feelings into it. And I do the same, knowing my words are just as inadequate. He leads me over to the mats, laying me down, then joins me, sliding in carefully until he's seated as far as he can go. My legs wrap around his hips, pulling him in a little more, as far as I can, while my hands explore the rest of his body, remembering and memorizing it again. He moves slowly, carefully, as we enjoy the touch and sensations of each other.
"I love you, Jimin," I whisper into his ear, "in this lifetime and the next, I am forever yours, until the end of time."
"As I am yours..." he whispers back. Then there's no more need for words as we show each other what those words mean.
*************
"Come on, Baby, we need to get going soon," I hear Jimin call from the bedroom as I finish with my hair.
"I don't understand why we're celebrating tonight. My birthday was a month ago," I say as I leave the bathroom. "It's not a big deal."
He walks up to me, pulling me into his arms and kissing my neck quickly. "It is a big deal, love. Everyone wants to celebrate you. When you were taken, they were all together waiting for me to bring you back for your surprise party. When I almost lost you and Ji-Young...they almost lost you too. This is for all of us tonight."
"Oh, all right," I say with an exaggerated sigh, then smile up at him, chuckling. "Although, I'm not sure what to wear."
"I've got you covered." He shows me what he got me this time, and I shake my head when I see the beautiful vintage black on royal blue asymmetrical, A-line satin and lace cocktail dress laying on the bed behind him. Looking back at him, I realize the color matches the shirt he's wearing with his tailored black suit. I grab him by the collar, pulling him in close while I stand up on my tip toes, my lips pressed against his. His hands reach around to grab my *ss, pulling my body up tight against his. He growls against my lips, "If only we had time to..."
At that moment, Ji-Young wakes up and cries, and he loosens his grip, letting me slide down his body, my forehead resting against the skin of his chest where the shirt is open at the throat.
"I'll take care of her while you get dressed. But hurry, love, because we really do need to get going soon," he says then kisses my forehead. Then he's striding away to check on her, and while listening to him murmur to her from the study, I grab the underclothes and put them on, ditching my robe. He always knows what to get to make me feel sexy, and I chuckle again when I see the lace and satin set match the dress.
Standing in front of the full length mirror, I'm putting the necklace back on that he gave for my birthday even though I can wear my rings again, when he walks up and stands behind me holding Ji-Young. I see she's also wearing a little matching dress, with a royal blue bow in her dark hair. He comes up next to me, and when he puts an arm around my waist, I fall in love with how our family feels complete. We smile at each other, then he places a kiss on my temple.
"Ready, Baby?" he asks, smiling as he rests his cheek on my head. I smile back at him.
"Yes. Do you want me to take her?" He shakes his head.
"It's good, I've got her. You still need to find shoes," he laughs kissing me one more time before he leaves the bedroom.
Making sure we have everything, Mi-Jeong, Hyun-soo, Jimin, and I head down to the parking area, strapping Ji-Young into her car seat.
We arrive at Hybe, and head up to the top floor again, getting out and heading into the large open room. Tears fill my eyes when I see my whole family standing inside along with the members, Jae-sung, Anaïse, and Bang PD-nim. I turn to Jimin. "Why didn't you say anything about my family being here?"
"Since you knew about the party this time, we needed to figure out what to do to surprise you, and it's only right that all of our family is here to celebrate you and our flower." I kiss him softly, trying not to let the tears spill from my eyes, but it's really difficult.
"Thank you, my love. This is the greatest surprise I could have hoped for. I just wish..." I pause, not wanting to sound ungrateful. "I just wish Hobi oppa and Jin oppa were able to be here as well. It doesn't feel quite complete without them." He smiles down at me, leaning his forehead on mine.
"I know, my love," he says, pulling away as Ji-Young starts to fuss a bit. We head in to greet everyone, and I get to meet my new niece and nephew. Joo-won is stuck to Jungkook like glue, HaYoon and SeoYeon are hanging out with Mi-Jeong and Hyun-soo, and JiYeong, Ha-eun, Jimin and I have swapped babies while their grandparents coo and gush over them.
Once they've been given back and we're child-free for a while, Jimin and I are standing with the other members talking, discussing the soon-to-be announcement of Jimin's enlistment. We both feel a tap on our shoulders, and when we turn around, we are both surprised to see Jin and Hobi standing there, looking so good and so healthy, and so ready for the huge hugs we give them.
Our family is finally and truly complete.